


By Your Side

by novilunar



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 08:31:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4053454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novilunar/pseuds/novilunar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongdae waits for his boyfriend to come home</p>
            </blockquote>





	By Your Side

Jongdae is just putting away the left-overs of his dinner when the familiar little _ping_ of his cell phone sounds from the living room. He’d made enough food for two, knowing that even if Joonmyeon didn’t make it home to dinner he could at least heat up some food whenever he did get home. Joonmyeon had already texted earlier that they were understaffed at the hospital today and that he might have to work overtime, and Jongdae is sincerely hoping that this new text is Joonmyeon telling him that he’s on his way home.

Swiping past the lockscreen picture of him and Joonmyeon smiling into the camera, taken during their trip to China last year, Jongdae opens his messages only to feel a mixture of disappointment and sympathy settle in his gut. Apparently it’s busier than expected and Joonmyeon is telling him not to wait up. Meaning, he isn’t expecting to get home until after midnight.

Jongdae must admit that he's a little bit miffed out. He had been looking forward to an evening with his boyfriend after the full day of classes he's had, but he also knows how important Joonmyeon’s job is. On the bright side however, Jongdae has no classes tomorrow and there's always the chance of Joonmyeon getting tomorrow off as well considering how late he'll be working. 

Jongdae sends a short reply, reminding Joonmyeon to eat something, since his boyfriend has a tendency to forget about things like that when he’s wrapped up in his work. It's one of the reasons that Jongdae is glad that he finally moved in with Joonmyeon; he may not be able to stop Joonmyeon from working so much but he can at least make sure there is a meal and a clean house waiting for him when he gets home. 

Despite his friends’ jokes about him being a housewife Jongdae actually enjoys doing those things for Joonmyeon. His university studies doesn't take up nearly as much time as Joonmyeon’s work at the hospital does, and Jongdae would lie if if he said he didn't worry about his boyfriend's well-being sometimes. It feels nice knowing that Joonmyeon isn't spending his evenings alone with take out and the TV anymore, but rather with a home cooked meal and Jongdae for company.

Jongdae takes a shower before revising his lecture notes, wanting to get it done tonight so that he can justify slacking off off the whole day tomorrow. He wishes Joonmyeon was there with him. He’s always found it easier to concentrate with his boyfriend in the room, reading one of his many novels or tapping away at the computer. It reminds him of how they would sit next to each other in silence in the public library for weeks until Jongdae finally gathered the courage to ask Joonmyeon out, without knowing anything about him other than what kind of books he liked to read. 

Jongdae finds his thoughts drifting, hoping that Joonmyeon brought a sweater with him. The night is looking to be cold, and it’s already getting dark outside. It's not until he’s yawning and words are getting blurry, drifting into each other, that Jongdae decides to finally go to bed.

He wakes up in the middle of the night and at first he’s hopeful, thinking that maybe Joonmyeon has come home, but the silence of the apartment quells his anticipation. Instead he shivers, realizing with a glance over to the window that he forgot to close it and now the cold autumn air is entering the apartment. He burrows into his comforter. The window is on the other side of the room and he’s too tired, too comfortable in the warm bed to get up and close it. 

He must have drifted off to sleep again because the next time he rouses the clock reads a few hours later, but still far too early to get up. He can hear the latch of the window clicking shut and although the room is still cold at least there is no breeze anymore. Joonmyeon is silhouetted against the window, unbuttoning his shirt before pushing it off his shoulders. He folds it neatly, like always, before putting it away, slacks soon following.

When Joonmyeon approaches the bed Jongdae can see exhaustion written in the furrow of his brow, the slump of his shoulders. While Jongdae has come to understand that Joonmyeon’s morals and work ethic makes it almost impossible for him to refuse overtime he still wishes he could convince Joonmyeon that he has to remember to look out for himself too.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up,” Joonmyeon says, reaching out to stroke Jongdae’s hair back from his face. Jongdae reaches up a hand, entangling Joonmyeon’s fingers with his. Joonmyeon is cold to the touch, goosebumps rising along his skin from the cold night air.

“Come to bed,” Jongdae says, voice husky with sleep. His mind is still not quite awake and in his lethargic state there's nothing he wants other Joonmyeon being as close as possible. He shuffles back on the bed to make room for Joonmyeon, lifting the covers to let him in.

Joonmyeon is cold from head to toe when he finally settles in and Jongdae draws up next to him, rests his head against Joonmyeon’s shoulder. Joonmyeon’s arm comes up around him and he holds Jongdae close, breathes softly into his hair as his knuckles graze across Jongdae’s bare skin.

When they're this close, Jongdae can make out the lingering remains of Joonmyeon’s cologne. It smells like home. His hand is resting on Joonmyeon’s chest and beneath it he can feel the beats of his heart, steady and soothing. 

“Go back to sleep,” Joonmyeon murmurs and Jongdae obliges, unable to stop the small smile that breaks out when Joonmyeon lightly kisses his forehead.


End file.
